Despite a distinguished 30-year career covering warzones from Beirut to Buckingham Palace, Nicholas Witchell's place in media history became assured on the day in 1988 when the BBC Six O'Clock News was targeted by militant lesbians.

The gang of three, who were protesting against Clause 28, burst into the studio at Television Centre in West London during the live broadcast. While the indomitable Sue Lawley continued to read the bulletin unfazed, Witchell leapt from his seat and quelled the uprising.

He later wrote: "I thought I had better do something, so I unplugged my microphone from the desk and tried to drag off the woman, who was shouting at the top of her voice.

"The woman was proving difficult to drag off because she was handcuffed to the desk, which was coming with her as I pulled. She was writhing, struggling and shouting."

In advice which Prince Charles would have done well to have heeded today, he added: "The microphones were still on, so I placed my hand over her mouth and said: 'You have made your protest, so please be quiet.' She later claimed I swore at her. But I would hardly do that with the mikes on."

The incident provoked the memorable Daily Mirror headline: "Beeb man sits on lesbian".

Born in Shropshire in 1953, Witchell joined the BBC as a graduate news trainee in 1976 after completing a law degree at Leeds University.

After three years in Northern Ireland, he was sent out to cover the 1982 Falklands conflict. With a taste for battle he returned to report on Margaret Thatcher's 1983 general election campaign before returning to Belfast to become the BBC's Ireland Correspondent.

In September 1984 he was, with Sue Lawley, one of the founding presenters of the Six O'Clock News. He continued there until 1989, when he became the lead presenter of the re-launched Breakfast News, occasionally presenting the programme live from the scene of major stories in Mosow, Berlin and South Africa.

In 1994 he returned to frontline reporting for the BBC, for Panorama and then as a BBC diplomatic correspondent.

On 31 August 1997, Witchell was the first journalist to broadcast the confirmed news of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales and provided live radio commentary from outside Westminster Abbey at her funeral.

The next year he became the BBC's royal and diplomatic correspondent and was awarded a Radio Academy award in 2001 for his coverage of the Ceremony of Remembrance at the Cenotaph.

Although close to the Princess of Wales, his scepticism about the wedding of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker-Bowles, became apparent when their engagement was announced in February.

He was quoted as said: "This is a step not without considerable risk by the Royal Family. They will be watching very carefully to see how public opinion unfolds."

Away from the studio, he harbous a curious passion for the Loch Ness monster and has written a best-selling book on his fruitless search for Nessie.

Nicholas Witchell is a Governor of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation, an Officer of the Order of St John and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He lives in Central London with his wife and two children.

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